A piece of Albany’s puzzle

Our opinion: The new plan for an Albany convention center is intriguing, but the city shouldn’t forget about the old site, a major tract that would a waste to neglect.

Albany’s new scaled-down convention center plan seems to make so much more sense than the grander vision that never seemed quite right to too many people.

Yes, it’s smaller. But this idea — from the location to the scale to the price tag — also sounds smarter. It deserves thoughtful consideration not only from people who have been supportive of the idea of a downtown convention center, as we have, but also from opponents.

But that doesn’t mean Albany can forget about the old site. It’s a big and important chunk of downtown, and its future just became more complicated.

Thursday’s announcement of a new plan was hardly a surprise. Despite an initial burst of enthusiasm from, among others, Mayor Jerry Jennings, interest in the original project had been waning over the years, even as a public authority was buying up property. Current state leaders clearly are less keen on the $220 million venture than was ex-Gov. George Pataki, who with the Legislature had committed $75 million up front, leaving the state on the hook for $7 million to $9 million in subsidies a year.

After more than a decade of standing behind the project, Mr. Jennings last fall finally suggested that perhaps it should be rethought.

And here we are, with a new proposal to put a smaller convention center on Eagle Street, a more sensible location that places the facility in a more central location close to several hotels and the seat of state government. The 80,000 square foot center — less than a third of the earlier 300,000 square foot design — is so far not expected to need any more money than the $63 million that remains of the original state commitment.

We’ll await, of course, the experts’ assessment of this in an upcoming market study. And given Albany’s history of cost overruns on big projects, we’ll see if that $63 million figure holds for long. But at first blush, this has all the feel of a more manageable and sustainable plan, one that could be done before the public starts to wonder whether it will ever come to pass.

Yet this leaves the question of what to do with the original site, now 4.5 acres, in the southeastern corner of downtown, which the authority spent years assembling. Now the city has an opportunity to form a unified vision for the property.

Perhaps that vision is the aquarium idea suggested by Omni Development’s I. David Swawite. Maybe it’s the notion of a Fort Orange historic site, honoring the area’s original settlement. Or perhaps it’s something else that hasn’t been talked about yet, such as a mixed-use project that includes retail and housing to further build the critical mass that a livable downtown needs. Surely the crop of city candidates have some ideas.

It’s imperative that civic and business leaders set the forging of a vision as a top priority. This site, now largely a concrete and blacktop wasteland, is that last significant undeveloped parcel of land downtown, as it pretty much has been for decades, through booms and busts. Albany must make the most of it — preferably before another decade passes.

6 Responses

Albany can build any kind of Convention center they want as long as no State Dollars are used. As a NY state resident I oppose spending any money on such a folly. Albany is already overcrowded and has excessive crime. Why add to the problem?

If no state dollars are used, then local ones will. Sorry, still not interested. Convention centers are almost guaranteed money losers. Why is that being ignored by so many? Yes, local nearby businesses might benefit, but unless those that benefit are the ones who pay for the thing, it’s an extra burden on the rest of us who get NO benefit.

Exactly what kind of shows\conventions does Albany feel this convention center is going to draw? Downtown Albany is hardly a bustling epicenter of shops and restaurants. Why would anyone want to have a convention in DT Albany? Just building a convention center, and a very small one at that, isn’t a magnet that is going to draw people to Albany.

On the other hand you have the Aquarium idea that would actually be an attraction that would draw people, schools from miles around to the DT Albany area during the week and more so on the weekends.